What to do if you test positive for Covid-19 in Thailand

Taking at-home Covid-19 tests on a regular basis as become the “norm” this week after many people travelled and met with friends and family during the New Year holiday. Officials are anticipating an uptick in Covid-19 cases, and some areas, like Bangkok and Phuket, have even prepared facilities to house patients.

Here’s what to do if you test positive for Covid-19 in Thailand…

Confirm the result with an RT-PCR test

Those who test positive for Covid-19 in a rapid antigen test, or ATK, must follow up with a RT-PCR test to confirm the infection. The Thai government only recognises positive RT-PCR tests as confirmed Covid-19 infections.

Contact Thai health officials

Under Thailand’s emergency orders, those who test positive for Covid-19 are required to contact the public health officials. Those who do not report positive results can face a fine of up to 20,000 baht.

• Contact National Health Security Office at 1330 by phone or their Line official account.
• Patients under the Social Security System contact a hotline 1506, press 6.
• For urgent or severe cases, contact the hotline 1668 or Line @1668.reg to reserve a hospital bed.

Enquire about home isolation

Those infected with Covid-19 who refuse to quarantine or get treatment can face a penalty of up to 2 years in jail and an up to 40,000 baht fine. Patients with severe symptoms will be sent to a hospital while others can be sent to a field hospital or community isolation centre where the stay and expenses for basic treatment is covered by the government.

But for expats and travellers, the thought of being sent off to a field hospital or isolation centre in a foreign country can be daunting, but those who are asymptomatic, or who have mild symptoms, can be approved for home isolation.

To qualify for home isolation, patient must be younger than 65 years old with no health conditions that put them at risk of a severe infection. They must also be asymptomatic, or only have mild symptoms, and have living space where they can isolate from others. Those travelling in Thailand may be subject to quarantine at an approved hotel at their expense.

For enquiries on home isolation, call the Department of Disease Control hotline at 1422.

SOURCE: National Health Security Office (NHSO) | KomChadLuek | Sanook